The present invention relates to a hoof guard or hoof protection device for the hooves of riding animals and, in particular, horses, including a horseshoe-shaped base body having a running side and a hoof plating side as well as at least two adaptation or pull-up means capable of being displaced in or on the base body and fixed to the base body, said pull-up means being each composed of a sliding part mounted in or on the base body in a depression or recess thereof as well as a stop portion protruding substantially normally relative to the sliding part in the direction facing away from the running side for abutment on the hoof.
Various embodiments of hoof protection devices or hoof guards and horseshoes are known, wherein a plurality of known shoes, especially those made of metal, have predefined dimensions and are, therefore, not suitable for different riding animals and, in particular, horses. Thus, the adaptation of such horseshoes to different hoof sizes will, for instance, involve the dressing of such horseshoes and the production of an accordingly large number of horseshoes having different sizes so as to have available an accordingly large selection. If an improperly fit hoof protection is used, this will entail the risk of a rapid detachment of the hoof protection from the hoof, thus calling for accordingly frequent new shoeing.
In order to overcome those drawbacks of horseshoes and hoof protection configurations having predefined dimensions, it is known to provide pull-up means or clips which are at least partially displaceable or adjustable relative to the base body, reference in this respect being, for instance, made to FR-A 2 758 944 or WO 99/40782. In those multipart hoof protection structures, appropriate insertion elements render feasible the fixation of pull-up means in different positions on a base body through latching so as to ensure an adjustability enabling the adaptation to different hoof configurations.
EP 0 860 115 A1 discloses a hoof protection device aimed to improve the absorption of shocks exerted against the hoof, which hoof protection device comprises adaptation or pull-up means capable of being inserted in the sole region and, in particular, adjusted via saw-tooth sections.
The present invention aims to provide a hoof protection device of the initially defined kind, which offers additional options to properly and reliably adapt a hoof protection means to different hoof sizes, thus ensuring the proper fixation of a hoof protection device to a hoof.
To solve this object, the hoof protection device according to the invention is essentially characterized in that the sliding part and the depression or recess of the base body are each designed to comprise at least one complementary section extending in the direction of displacement of the sliding part for the formation of a slideway for the sliding part in or on the base body, and that said sections are comprised of undercut sections. The provision according to the invention, of a slideway between the sliding part and the depression or recess of the base body renders feasible the substantially continuous adaptation to different shapes and sizes of hooves that are to be equipped with hoof protection devices, so that the possibilities of adaptation of a hoof protection device according to the invention will be further enhanced. Simple sections will do to provide the desired slideway such that even the work involved in the manufacture of the hoof protection device according to the invention can be kept accordingly low. It is, thus, feasible to enable the appropriate adaptation to the most diverse hoof shapes substantially through the provision of a basic shape for the base body by appropriately adapting the position of the sliding parts of the pull-up means in or on the base body, wherein, upon fixation of the hoof protection to the hoof, possibly protruding elements of the base body can be removed in a simple manner such that, on the whole, the work involved in shoeing for the adaptation to different hoof shapes can be reduced by providing the appropriate base body sizes. Furthermore, the realization in the form of undercut sections prevents particularly undesired premature emerging.
While, in principle, a single slideway will do in each case by providing an appropriate section on the sliding part of the pull-up means and a complementary section in the region of the depression or recess on the base body, it is proposed according to a preferred embodiment that the sliding part has a substantially rectangular cross section normal to the direction of displacement and, on the two longitudinal sides extending in the direction of displacement, is formed with a section cooperating with a complementary section provided in the region of the lateral limitations of the recess or depression. By providing a guiding means on the longitudinal sides of the sliding part as well as accordingly complementary sections on the lateral limitations of the depressions or recesses, the safe and reliable guidance of the sliding part will be ensured without entailing the risk of the displaceable pull-up means canting or jamming during shoeing.
In order to enable a particularly simple and cost-effective manufacture, it is proposed according to a further preferred embodiment that the sections are comprised of dovetail sections, such dovetail sections ensuring an accordingly reliable guidance and, in particular, safely preventing the sliding part, or the entire pull-up means, from emerging normally to the direction of displacement.
In order to be able to safely prevent any unintentional emergence of the pull-up means in the direction of displacement during an adaptation procedure, it may be provided that the sliding part is capable of being received in the recess or depression by frictional engagement, as in correspondence with a further preferred embodiment of the hoof protection device according to the invention. Such a frictional engagement allows the sliding part to be displaced relative to the base body in or on the depression or recess via the slideway until the definite adaptation to the desired hoof size, since no extremely large forces will become necessary to overcome that frictional engagement.
Alternatively, or in order to support the correct positioning and avoid the unintentional emergence of a pull-up means in the direction of displacement during shoeing, another preferred embodiment contemplates that the sliding part, on its bottom surface facing the recess or depression, is formed with projections and/or depressions intended to cooperate with an accordingly sectioned abutment surface of the recess or depression. Such projections and/or depressions on the bottom surface of the sliding part can be designed in an accordingly simple and small manner in order to enable the safe provisional maintenance or positioning of the sliding part in an appropriate depression or recess of the base body during cooperation with a complementary section formed in the abutment surface. In this context, it is proposed according to another preferred embodiment that the sections of the bottom surface of the sliding part as well as the abutment surface of the recess are formed by latch toothings. Such latch toothings not only are particularly easy to produce, but also allow for the simple introduction of the sliding part by appropriate formation under consideration of the direction of displacement, wherein unintentional emerging in a sense opposite to the direction of insertion can be reliably prevented by providing an accordingly asymmetric design of the latches.
In order to ensure the proper fixation of the hoof protection device according to the invention to the hoof of a riding animal, it is, moreover, proposed that the base body comprises a plurality of holes or openings in the region of the recess or depression, substantially in the center and in the sense of the direction of displacement of the sliding part, to receive a fastening element and, in particular, a horse nail, as in correspondence with a further preferred embodiment of the hoof protection device according to the invention. By providing a plurality of holes or openings each intended to receive a fastening element, the fixation of the hoof protection device to the hoof can be readily realized upon adaptation by appropriate positioning of the pull-up means, since no respective material thickness of the base body need be penetrated by the fastening element and, in particular, horse nail. For the correct positioning of a horse nail or fastening element, it is, moreover, proposed in a preferred manner that the holes have cross sectional shapes and/or dimensions mating with horse nails.
In order to enable the avoidance of an emergence of the pull-up means during subsequent straining despite the optionally provided sections or toothings reliably preventing the unintentional emergence of said pull-up means during adaptation, a fastening element and, in particular, a horse nail is usually provided in the region of the displaceable pull-up means. In order not to be forced to penetrate an optionally provided larger material thickness of the sliding part of the pull-up means during the driving in or knocking in of a fastening element, it is, moreover, provided that the sliding part, substantially in its center and in the direction of displacement, is formed with a reduced material thickness zone extending at least over a partial region of the displacement path, as in correspondence with a further preferred embodiment of the hoof protection device according to the invention. By the substantially central arrangement of a reduced material thickness zone and the likewise proposed substantially central arrangement of a plurality of holes or openings for horse nails, the safe fixation of the hoof protection device after precise positioning of the pull-up means also in the region of the pull-up means, and hence the altogether final positioning of the pull-up means on the base body, will be safeguarded.
Bearing in mind the anatomy of a hoof to be equipped with a hoof protection device according to the invention, there are partial regions, particularly in the front region of the hoof, where no fastening element or horse nail must or may usually be driven in. In order to enable the fixation of a, particularly displaceable and hence adaptable, pull-up means to the hoof protection device or base body even in that region, it is proposed according to another preferred embodiment that the sliding part is provided with a notch or material taper substantially transverse to the direction of displacement on its upper side facing away from the base body and capable of being fixed in or on the base body on both sides of the notch by relatively angled partial regions of the sliding part. By enabling the angled arrangement or final positioning of the displaceable pull-up means on or in the base body, it will be ensured by assuming said angled position that any emergence can be excluded even in the absence of a fastening element or horse nail, particularly in cooperation with sections or latch toothings provided in the region of the bottom surface.
Since hoof size differences, as a rule, are most pronounced in a lateral region, it is proposed according to a further preferred embodiment that an adjustable pull-up means is each provided at an acute angle and, in particular, at about 30 to 60xc2x0 relative to a central axis of the base body so as to obtain an accordingly good adaptability to different hoof sizes and shapes by such positioning of the displaceable or adjustable pull-up means.
Since the displaceable or adjustable pull-up means proposed according to the invention serve for the adaptation to different hoof sizes, a relatively far outwardly located position of a pull-up means may be required particularly with large hoof sizes. In order to prevent the sliding part or, in general, a partial region of the pull-up means from projecting beyond the lateral limitation of the base body and, thus, being damaged or sheared during walking or treading on bumpy ground, it is preferably proposed that the base body, in the region of the recess or depression intended to receive one adjustable pull-up means each, is formed with a protrusion projecting from the external periphery and, in particular, a protruding chamfer. Such protrusions or chamfers will, thus, ensure that no partial regions of the pull-up means will project beyond the lateral outer limitations of the base body of the hoof protection device irrespective of the actual installation position.
Especially when using a base body or hoof protection device made of a plastics material which, as opposed to metallic configurations of hoof protection devices, exhibits enhanced shock-absorbing properties, an accordingly high resistance to abrasion of the running side or sole of the hoof protection must be provided. In this context, it is proposed according to the invention that the base body is formed on its running side at least partially with a lining or coating made of a material of elevated resistance or abrasion resistance as against the material, particularly plastics material, of the base body, as in correspondence with a further preferred embodiment of the invention. It is, thus, feasible, to make the main region of the base body of an accordingly elastic or shock-absorbing material, while additionally attaching an accordingly more resistant or abrasion-proof running side to the base body.